Factors Affecting Abdominal Obesity: Analyzing National Data

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the factors affecting abdominal obesity. A secondary data analysis was conducted to analyze 5262 individuals’ data from the 2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The prevalence of obesity was slightly higher in men than women, while abdominal obesity was more prevalent in women. A higher correlation with obesity was observed in young and middle-aged individuals, unmarried individuals, urban residents, those with good subjective health, low-stress perception, moderate alcohol consumption, nonsmokers, regular aerobic exercisers, and those getting more than seven hours of sleep. In contrast, middle-aged and elderly individuals, married individuals, rural residents, those with an elementary school or lower education level, those with low-to-moderate income, those with fair or poor subjective health, high stress perception, nondrinkers, smokers, nonregular aerobic exercisers, and those getting less than seven hours of sleep had a higher correlation with abdominal obesity. Health education suggests that everyone should maintain healthy lifestyle habits, such as getting sufficient sleep, exercise, smoking cessation, and moderate drinking. Specifically, diverse health management support focusing on population groups with demographic factors related to the risk of obesity and abdominal obesity is necessary. © 2024 by the authors.